There are a few bits of good news I would like to share with the shoppers of the Dixon Coop this week. First of all, we are staffed and trained in the Deli. It’s been a long time coming, but we can finally give you fresh made sandwiches for lunch seven days a week. We will make you any of our deli sandwiches fresh and made to order. Our breakfast burritos are available every morning by 8 a.m. as well, so come on in and get your favorites before they are gone.
The second piece of news is that our local produce has started to really come in for the season. We have incredibly fresh produce coming in from Romero Farms, Luna Farm and Diamond Sow Garden every week, as well as our usual bounty from Midori Acres of Taos, and Growing Opportunities in Alcalde. You can find the local goods in the first door of the refrigerated produce case, and all local produce is half price if you use your EBT card thanks to the New Mexico Farmers’ Market Association’s Double Up Food Bucks Program. Right now we are getting arugula, bok choy, salad greens, head lettuce, spinach, radishes, red scallions, kale, tomatoes, English cucumbers, micro greens, cilantro, and other delicious and farm fresh produce delivered throughout the week. It’s my favorite part of the job to receive such incredible product and sell it to people who appreciate how special it is for a store to have produce picked that morning.
The third update is about our building project. We will be starting in force next week, as soon as the contractor is available. We have updated our h-vac, refrigeration and freezer section to allow the closets behind the store to be taken down so we can start the ground work. Full steam ahead!
All three of these bits of good news are hopeful reminders that we are lucky to live in a place that will support a locally owned and controlled grocery. This fact should not be taken for granted, our margin is so slim that even slight adjustments to income can have significant effects on our ability to remain in the black. This year our sales are down 6% so far because people are getting used to driving out of town for their groceries. We need you back. I’m looking for ways to make you shop here more, like garden fresh produce and a reboot of deli service and quality. Another way to support is to order in bulk because it saves you substantial amounts of money while you support one of the last independent grocery stores in small-town America. I know we can’t be everything to everyone and you might have to get some of your groceries elsewhere, but use us as best you can so we can be around to bring you good food for years to come. Hope to see you soon at the Coop,
Clark
Greetings fellow Dixon Cooperative Market community members,
This is just a short note to announce that the co-op has been nominated for a Local Hero Award from Edible! It is an honor to be considered, and we deeply appreciate the recognition of how hard the co-op works to stabilize our local food economy.
We are not the only local businesses nominated! Old Gem Farm and Sugar Nymphs Bistro are also up for recognition.
Please vote and share some love for your hard working neighbors. Voting closes May 6th.
The Dixon Cooperative Market Board of Directors
https://www.ediblenm.com/local-hero-awards/
There are a couple of new initiatives the Coop is pursuing this year that we hope will help the people who need a boost in their nutrition and pocketbook. The first one is our new fund that will help the people who are most in need of support to feed themselves and their families. The Convite Fund has been established through contributions of concerned Coop members to help people who might find themselves in immediate need of food but without the means to pay for it. We don’t think anyone in our community should be suffering from hunger. If you find yourself in need, please ask any of the managers on duty and we can get you some good and nutritious food immediately, free of charge. This fund doesn’t pay for candy or tobacco products, but you will walk out of the store with enough healthy food to get you and your family through a tough time. If you would like to contribute to this fund you can also talk to one of the managers and we can help you add to the fund.
The other effort we are making is to create more locally grown produce available here at the store. All of the people who shop at the Coop will benefit from this, and anyone who uses EBT can take advantage of the Double Up Food Bucks program that gives you half price on all local produce when you use your EBT. We are reaching out to all growers in the area so we can be a daily farmers’ market during the growing months. If you grow food or would like to grow food for the Coop, we will soon be holding a meeting that will help us coordinate our needs with those of you who are planning your planting schedule. Currently, we buy most of our produce from an organic distribution company in California, but I would much prefer to buy local products that are harvested within a couple of days, if not hours, of having them available at the store. It also reduces the environmental impact if we are delivering items from Apodaca instead of the Central Valley of California. And best of all for the local economy, the money we spend in Dixon stays in Dixon. Look for an announcement in the coming week about our organizing meeting in early March to establish how we optimize our local purchasing.
And in the meantime, what’s left of last year’s seeds are 40% off right now, and our new seed have arrived. Get yours today, and I hope to see you soon at the Coop.
The annual members’ meeting of the Dixon Cooperative Market will take place on Saturday, January 27th, at 1:00 pm at the Embudo Valley Library. All members are welcome to attend in person, and a Zoom invitation is available by contacting Board President Nancy Levit by email at nancy@dixonmarket.com. The agenda includes reports from the board president and treasurer, as well as a report from the manager. Public input will also be included. Finally, election results for new board members will be announced. Please come to the store to vote, or get your ballot in the mail so we receive it by Saturday.
The Coop exists to provide a wide variety of food and necessities to the people who live in and near the Embudo Valley. While we are a for-profit business, our goal is not to make a profit beyond what we need to operate. If we make a large profit, we are not doing our members any favor because it means we are charging them more than we need. In 2023 we were less than .0025% off of our sales to break exactly even. Not bad, considering we did over $1.3 million in sales. If you like statistics like that, come to the meeting for a whole lot more.
The biggest challenge we have here at the Coop is keeping prices down. Because of our remoteness and scale of our volume of sales we struggle to keep our cost of goods at a rate that could compete with bigger stores in more populated areas. As our volume increases, our gross profit margin can be decreased which brings prices down a bit. Our clientele is limited to those who live here and the tourist trade that builds in the summer and dwindles in the late winter months. That is why it is important to the health of the Coop to get the business, especially in these months, of those of us who live here. Without enough volume of sales, we will only break even with higher margins of what we sell. We don’t like raising prices any more than you like paying them.
Another challenge is convincing people to take advantage of the benefits of membership. Did you know that if you took your discount on one purchase of $12.50 each month you would pay for your membership? I recommend taking the discount on purchases of $125 or more once a month and saving ten times the cost of your membership for the year. Being a member also allows you savings on bulk orders through our buying club. We would love to help you find lower food costs by taking advantage of the buying club and member discounts. I you’re not a member, join us. If you are already a member, take your discount and check out the buying club. I hope to see you soon at the Coop,
–Clark
